Strange lack of flight : why ?
 

Hi !

I have a question regarding a flight between Orlando (MCO) and New York (JFK/LGA) which is not constant and which does not exist on the date I am interested in.

In fact, I want to connect Orlando to New York on May 15, 2025 with the Delta company around 1 p.m. (I'm talking about Delta because it is a multi-city reservation LHR-MCO / MCO-NYC / JFK- LHR whose 1st and 3rd flights are operated by Virgin).
Currently, there is one flight which operates this route, it is flight DL2503. From November 6, there are 2 flights: DL2503 and DL2019. Then, suddenly, from May 7, 2025 (except May 13), these flights no longer exist, which really annoys me !

Do you have any idea about this lack of flights ? Should I wait ? Who should I write to for information ?

THANKS !

Schedule probably is not fully loaded that far out yet... you're talking almost a year. Delta normally doesn't even have flights populated/selectable if you're looking past 330 days, and you're right at that if you're talking about may 15 next year.

Schedules are dynamic and can change from month to month and week to week (many routes also have fewer flights on slower travel days like Tue/Wed/Sat). There are actually 5x daily flights currently on both MCO-JFK and MCO-LGA. These can operate anywhere from 5x daily to 7x daily from now until May. You are just not seeing these because you are searching for MCO-LHR instead of MCO-JFK/LGA. DL2503 is MCO-LGA and I would not recommend that flight to connect to a JFK-LHR flight. The fact that DL2019 2PM MCO-JFK does not operate every day is not at all strange and calling DL will not cause them to restore that flight on the day that you want. There are actually many possible connecting options, but delta.com search will not show them all. ITA Matrix can be used to show many of the options not showing on delta.com. I limited the layover time in this search, but if you want to actually spend some time in NYC, you can change the search to show longer layovers (up to 24 hours is legal on international TATL connections).
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d80759b8c0.png

You can't communicate with anyone at this point. Until the schedule is released (or updated), Delta will just tell you that it is what it is.

Once again, schedules are dynamic. The 2PM MCO-JFK flight (DL2019) does not operate from early May to early November because of reduced demand to Orlando. The November schedule begins on Nov 6th and that is when the flight is added, and the May schedule begins on May 7th and that is when that particular flight is removed from the schedule. MCO-LGA sees similar additions and reductions due to differing travel demand to Orlando based on seasons. There are still 5 other daily flights on MCO-JFK and 6x daily on MCO-LGA on/after May 7th.

Any flight more than about 60 days out with Delta is in actuality just a “placeholder” and may/may not actually end up operating. As the dates get closer the airline finalizes schedules based on demand and aircraft/crew resources. Even inside the 60 day mark minor changes in time or aircraft type might occur. The best strategy is to book a flight that works for you and monitor the reservation for schedule changes every Saturday. When a change occurs, you can make a free change to another acceptable delta flight provided it meets certain criteria (see the master schedule change thread on here for more info.) Also, another popular technique is to book whichever flight is the least expensive when booking far out in the hopes of being able to switch to a more desirable flight for free once a schedule change occurs. Of course this is not guaranteed, but can definitely pay off. And off topic, but I don’t recommend basic economy as it can make this practice a little more difficult. Always buy main or above.

Lastly, this practice of making schedules essentially placeholders seems to be more common with US carriers. Yes, it can and does happen with other carriers as well, but with airlines like Delta schedule changes are literally a weekly thing.

So, I'm going to detail it a little to make it more understandable.

This is therefore a multi-city flight via Delta :

- Tuesday May 6, 2025: LHR - MCO in Main cabin (operated by Virgin)
- Thursday May 15: MCO - NYC in Comfort+ (operated by Delta)
- Saturday May 17: JFK - LHR in Premium (operated by Virgin)

So, I have to book everything at once! I'm willing to wait, but if the available seats decrease (especially on flight 3), I can't wait forever, hoping that this flight will, perhaps, one day be real !
It is true that there are identical flights at other times; but what really suited me were the flights around 1-2 p.m.; It's bad luck that it's these hours that cause the problem...
And how can I explain, if I listen to your theories, that on May 13, the 2 flights exist ?

The schedule is only open out to 330 days. Very few seats on these flights are going to be booked immediately as soon as booking schedule opens and waiting another week is not likely to change things, Yes, see the one off flights on May 13th. Perhaps they will add them back to the rest of May schedule at some point, or perhaps not. The one thing I do know is that a Delta agent is not going to be able to tell you either.

If you must book the ticket now, book the currently available MCO-NYC flight that is closest to what you want. There will absolutely be a schedule change between now and next May that will allow you to change to any other flight that day. There's a possibility they will add the flight you want, there is a possibility they won't. Right now, they aren't operating it that day-- they may choose not to operate it any day in May.

On most airlines, when booking travel 11 months out, you should anticipate schedules changing. On Delta, it's a certainty.

I can assure you though that there is no risk that every seat on those flights is disappearing in the next few weeks or even months.

(As for why May sees less Orlando capacity: the weather is nicer in other parts of the US, and it is post peak winter/spring break Florida travel. School is still in session and family travel picks up again in late June.)

MCO-JFK on Thursday May 15 @ 0600; 0800; 1105; 1550; and 1955 nonstop - lots of others with connections ATL or DTW, etc. Timings WILL change between now and then!

Flight timings will certainly change somewhat from what is now published, but probably not too drastically. Current flight timings are 0605, 0735, 1100, 1529, and 1932. And flight numbers will almost certainly be changed as well. The current DL2049 flight number on 11AM MCO-JFK flight has shifted from MCO-JFK to MSP-PDX to MEM-ATL and then back to MCO-JFK just within last 3 months. The bigger question is whether they will add back 2PM flight on the 15th which no one can answer. In the grand scheme of things, having to settle for earlier 11:05 AM or later 3:50PM non-stop flights hardly seems like the end of the world.

Could you tell me more about these criteria ? (I speak french and if I can save myself from reading a whole topic, that would be cool !)

As a complete oversimplification, if the flight time has changed more than 30 minutes or if the flight number has changed, you can change to any flight between those cities within two days of your original flight. Sometimes if the flight time changes less, you can make the same change.
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This isn't completely correct. "Technically", the change must be 120 minutes or more. A flight number change is not a reason to allow a change. Many people will report that almost any time change allows for a free change. My guess is Delta has been a little lenient on this and the way things are going they will eventually close that loophole.

Schedule Change Guidelines (From Pro Delta)

When an advanced schedule change occurs, to advise the schedule change, Delta sends an Advice of Schedule Change (ASC) message to the GDS. To qualify for a complimentary change due to a schedule change, the schedule change must meet at least one of the following guidelines:

• A delay of 120 minutes or more
• A change in the routing of a scheduled Delta flight which adds one or more stops to the original itinerary
• A change in equipment from Delta Mainline to Delta Connection carrier
• Any change that causes a misconnect
• If a flight cancels and no comparable or acceptable routing is available within 120 minutes

If the schedule change is not acceptable:

• If the Schedule Change reaccommodation is not acceptable you may reaccommodate the customer as follows:
  • The new flight may be rebook in the same O&D or alternates within a 100 Mile radius of the original flight
  • The new flight may be rebooked in the same Cabin (Cabin to Cabin)
    • Rebook the new flight in the same Class of Service if available
    • For Main Cabin fares - If the same Class of Service is not available, rebook in the next available class of service, up to Y Class
    • All other cabins – The new flight may be rebooked in the same Class of Service if available, or the next available class of service, same cabin
  • The new flight may be rebooked two days before or two days after the original flight date (+/- 2 days)
  • Reaccommodations must be on a DL-marketed and DL-operated flight or a DL-Connection flight
    • If a DL-marketed and DL-operated flight or a DL-Connection flight is not available, contact Global Sales Support or Delta Reservations for assistance
  • The ticket must be reissued as an even exchange and the customer must be contacted with the new flight information

I'm aware of what the rules for travel agents you've posted say. I am also aware of what the practice actually is, which diverges from the rule, which is why OP was directed to the other thread, which OP said they couldn't read. Which is why I gave an oversimplification - and called it that - as nothing anyone says seems like it will be helpful to OP. Relitigating in this tbread the millions of permutations and possibilities about what does and doesnt allow a schedule change and how that diverges from what you've copied and pasted here isnt helpful. (Especially the bolded parts about other carriers and global ticketing support, which are likely going to confuse the OP.)

In practice, a flight number change absolutely allows a free change.

If OP has questions about Delta's schedule change policy, OP needs to go to that thread.